End Game: Politics, Pleas, Prayers And Paternity

BY Celeste Katz

NYDN Exclusive: Arnold Schwarzenegger's housekeeper separated from her husband in 1997 - just three weeks after her reported love child with her boss was born. And Schwarzenegger's youngest child with estranged wife Maria Shriver was born the same week as the out-of-wedlock baby boy - giving him two sons in five days.

President Obama's reelection campaign is playing off the "birther" controversy by selling T-shirts emblazoned with the President's face and a "Made in the USA" logo. The back of the T-shirt, given to those who donate $25 or more, depicts the CIC's long-form birth certificate. (NYDN)

Top Republicans are increasingly convinced Obama will be easily reelected if stronger GOP contenders do not emerge, and some are virtually begging Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to add some excitement to the slow-starting nomination race. It’s a sign of the GOP’s straits that the party is depending on the bland, wonkish Daniels for a boost. (Politico)

The feds picked a New York lawyer to run the $2.7 billion fund to compensate 9/11 rescuers and workers sickened by their time at Ground Zero. Sheila Birnbaum had served as a mediator in suits brought by families of victims killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. She hammered out a $500 million settlement for 92 families. (NYDN)

A devout Florida Catholic sparked some hellfire among members of his church after he asked them to pray for the soul of Osama Bin Laden. Henry Borga paid $10 to include the 9/11 mastermind's name on a list of people to be remembered during services at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach. (NYDN)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said while he surmised that “somebody” inside Pakistan was aware that bin Laden was hiding in a compound in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, there was no evidence so far that anyone in the country’s senior leadership was in on the secret. (NYT)

The Obama administration sanctioned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and six other senior members of his government, signaling a significant hardening of the U.S.'s policy toward Damascus in the wake of its violent crackdown on political protests. (WSJ)

Col. Moammar Khadafy lost the people closest to him on Wednesday - his wife and daughter, and his oil minister. All three fled Libya for Tunisia. (NYDN)

Four foreign reporters held by the Libyan government for several weeks — including one with ties to the Rochester area — were released today and moved to a Tripoli hotel. Clare Morgana Gillis, an American who has two grandparents, two aunts and an uncle living in the Rochester area, said she and her three colleagues — James Foley, Manu Brabo and Nigel Chandler — were in good health. (D&C)

Gov. Cuomo says the Board of Regents made the right call by approving the new teacher evaluation proposal — not surprising, considering that the panel decided to incorporate the changes that Cuomo had requested, despite the ensuing backlash from NYSUT. (CapCon)

Kathy Hochul and Jane Corwin, the Democratic and Republican candidates for the NY-26 seat, met for what may be the final debate of the campaign at the studios of WXXI. Jack Davis declined the invitation; Ian Murphy, the Green Party candidate, had too little support to make the cut. (Slate)

To create jobs, Corwin said she would vote in Congress to reduce taxes and remove regulations. She called for the repeal of the health care bill and would alter Medicare for people under 55. Hochul said she would reduce the deficit by increasing taxes on people making more than $500,000 per year, reforming entitlements and cutting defense spending. (C-SPAN, with video)

Carl Paladino appeared on MSNBC last night as a surrogate for Corwin, but he couldn’t help but get tripped up by host Ed Schultz’s questions on Corwin’s positions on Medicare and the Ryan Budget. (NYO)

Maybe because it's the only federal election happening at the moment, the NY-26 special election is drawing significant interest from outside groups pouring in cash. (Atlantic/WSJ)

Rep. Peter King is likely to remain in the House, focused on getting re-elected to the House next year, if past is prologue. He's certainly had a noteworthy alliance with the head of the DCCC, Steve Israel of Huntington. Still, the opportunities abound for bumper stickers and slogans. What can you lose with free publicity when it comes to the media-ready Republican? (Newsday)

Rep. Nan Hayworth today said the U.S. budget must be balanced if the country is to forge through these difficult times — and raising taxes isn’t the answer. “We can’t tax our way out of this recession,” Hayworth said of any plan that would cost taxpayers more, notably wealthier Americans. “What you tax, you get less of. Taxes don’t work. The federal government needs to size itself in a way that makes sense.” (LoHud)

In response to the alleged ticket-fixing scandal, the NYPD is creating a special unit to deal with the claims. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the unit will ensure that parking and other low-level tickets find their way through the court system. (WNYC)

The state court system announced today it is laying off 367 workers to cope with a $170 million reduction in its budget this year. The layoffs will hit courts across the state and come after the courts have already reduced services, including ending court sessions at 4:30 p.m. each day and reducing jury pools. (IJ)

Karl Sleight, attorney for SUNY Research Foundation President John O’Connor, released the letter and accompanying materials his firm dropped off with state Inspector General Ellen Biben slamming the Commission on Public Integrity and its Executive Director Barry Ginsberg. COPI alleges O’Connor provided a no-show job to Susan Bruno, daughter of former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. (CapCon)

A Monroe County local development corporation and its primary contractor managing a $224 million upgrade of the county’s emergency communications system have been subpoenaed by AG Eric Schneiderman for documentation about their business practices. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has notified the county that its relationship with the LDC, Monroe Security and Safety Systems, would be audited. (D&C)

Voters across New York headed to the polls yesterday to cast their ballots on some pretty tough school budget proposals. After lawmakers cut over a billion dollars from statewide education aid, schools in every district were left figuring out where to cut and whether to ask voters for more money. And next year, schools may face a state-mandated cap on a vital revenue source: local property taxes. (NCPR)

Some of Buffalo's lowest-performing schools should be turned into charter schools, a local attorney told the Common Council's Education Committee today. But an at-large member of the Board of the Education, told city lawmakers such action would only compound the school district's fiscal problems and would provide no additional benefits. (BN)

Faced with continued shortfalls in the Regents Examination Program, state education officials voted to stop giving Regents exams in January, eliminate Italian, French and Spanish tests and make an additional $6 million in reductions. Getting rid of the tests will save $700,000. But it means there will be no foreign-language Regents exams available. The Regents eliminated the German, Hebrew and Latin tests last year. (IJ)

A months-long investigation into the small fire at the Jefferson County Home for the Aged led to a tightening of the county's smoking ban. But the investigation did not lead to assigning blame for the March 2 fire. (WDT)

Health and environmental groups are asking a state court to stop the sale of outdoor wood boilers that don't meet new air quality rules set by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (AP)

Space orphans? Astronomers say space is littered with hundreds of billions of planets that have been ejected from the planetary systems that gave them birth and either are going their own lonely ways or are only distantly bound to stars at least as 10 times as far away as the Sun is from the Earth. (NYT)

Congratulations -- I guess...

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